Spain: CWI and Izquierda Revolucionaria – Towards unification

Joint declaration of the CWI’s IEC and Izquierda Revolucionaria’s IEC

In September 2016, we published a brief declaration after holding an initial meeting between our two organisations – a very fruitful meeting which revealed a broad agreement, politically and in terms of our methods of building a revolutionary party. In this meeting, we agreed to begin a process of political dialogue and debate, as well as of practical collaboration and exchange of documents and visits.

Since then, the collaboration between our organisations has been regular, close and intense. Comrades from the CWI’s International Secretariat and from numerous CWI sections have visited Spain in the course of the last months, to participate in different IR meetings, as well as attending the congress of the Students’ Union in November.

Representatives of IR have also participated in various important meetings both of the CWI and of the Socialist Party (CWI in England & Wales) including full participation in the successful London “Socialism 2016” event, as well as the Socialist Party National Committee in January 2017. IR representatives also attended in the CWI’s International Executive Committee in November 2016.

This Exchange and debate will continue in the course of various important events and meetings in the next few months – including the CWI’s Latin American School, the Central Committee and Congress of IR in Spain, and the congress of the Mexican section of IR, among others.

In both Venezuela and Spain, where both the CWI and IR have organised forces, a very encouraging process of practical collaboration and political coming together is underway.

There has also been an important exchange of articles, documents and publications. Key materials have been translated and published in our respective papers, websites and theoretical magazines and internal documents have been discussed and debated.

Towards Unity

Following this process, we can conclude that this experience has only confirmed, widened and strengthened the political, programmatic and methodological agreement between our organisations. This is confirmed not only by general political positions but also by our concrete and practical approaches to the developing class struggle, as well to the building of a revolutionary party and international in the 21st century.

It is clear that the conditions exist to go much further in our collaboration. We believe that the principled agreement between our organisations means that there is the basis for concrete steps to be taken towards the unification of our forces.

Therefore, the International Executive Committees of the CWI and IR agree:

To discuss this declaration in the democratic structures and leading bodies of the CWI and IR for its approval

To elaborate a programmatic document about our unification to be published around April/May 2017. This document will be debated in all the democratic structures and leading bodies of the CWI and IR for its approval.

To hold a unification conference in 2017.

25 years ago there was a painful separation between our organisations, in the context of a period great challenges and setbacks for the revolutionary Marxist Left around the world. However, we held firm and managed to maintain our forces and contribute to the class struggle, albeit via separate paths. The opening of this new period of structural crisis of capitalism and enormous opportunities for revolutionary Marxists has served to bring our paths together again.

2017 – the centenary year of the immortal Russian revolution – can also be a decisive year for our organisations. Our unification on a principled basis will strengthen us both politically and in our ability to build a Marxist international to arm the working class with the revolutionary leadership it deserves. It can also be an inspiring example of for the whole of the Left, workers movement and all revolutionaries.

We make a joint appeal to the workers, youth and revolutionaries of the world, for dialogue and debate, in search of the greatest possible collaboration and unity on the principled basis of revolutionary marxism.

Socialist Alternative is a national organization fighting in our workplaces, communities, and campuses against the exploitation and injustices people face every day. We are community activists fighting against budget cuts in public services; we are activists campaigning for a $15 an hour minimum wage and fighting, democratic unions; we are people of all colors speaking out against racism and attacks on immigrants, students organizing against tuition hikes and war, women and men fighting sexism and homophobia.